Karlie Kloss

Biography

Karlie Elizabeth Kloss (born August 3, 1992) is an American supermodel and entrepreneur. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2013 until 2015, when she enrolled as a student at New York University. By 2019, Kloss had appeared on 40 international Vogue covers. She has signed with several top modeling agencies throughout her career, including Elite Model Management, Next Management, IMG Models, and The Society. From 2019 to 2020, she was the host of the reality competition television series Project Runway. Apart from modeling, Kloss works to provide reproductive rights for women and supports programs for women in STEM fields. She founded "Kode with Klossy", a nonprofit which provides free coding camps for girls and non-binary teens. In 2022, Kloss launched Gateway Coalition, to provide support to abortion clinics in the Midwestern United States. The following year, she acquired i-D magazine and became its chief executive officer (CEO).

== Early life and education == Karlie Elizabeth Kloss was born on August 3, 1992, in Chicago, Illinois to Tracy Kloss (née Fares), a freelance art director, and Kurt Kloss, an emergency physician. She has three sisters: an elder sister, Kristine, and twin younger sisters, Kimberly and Kariann. She moved to St. Louis, Missouri, with her family in 1994. Kloss attended Webster Groves High School in Webster Groves, Missouri, where she was a cheerleader during her freshman year and graduated in 2011. In 2013, the family moved to Goshen, New York to support her modeling career. In September 2015, she enrolled in the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University.

== Modeling career ==

=== 2006–2010: Beginnings and modeling breakthrough === Kloss was discovered at a local benefit runway show in 2005. In 2006, at the age of 14, she posed for the photographer David Leslie Anthony in a cover and editorial spread titled "Almost Famous," for the June issue of Scene Magazine. Elite Model Management Chicago forwarded her tear sheets to their New York office, which signed her.

One of Kloss's first modeling stints was a shoot for Abercrombie Kids by Bruce Weber. In January 2008, she left Elite Model Management and signed with Next Management. She walked 31 runways in New York Fashion Week, walking as an exclusive for Calvin Klein, closing for Marc Jacobs, opening for Carolina Herrera, and occupying both spots at Doo.Ri. She walked 20 shows in Milan and 13 in Paris for the fall 2008 collections, totaling 64 shows in the 2008 season. Kloss found herself in a legal dispute when Elite Model Management, believing they were responsible for launching her career, sued Next Management for allegedly stealing her away and offering her 'improper compensation.' The case was eventually settled out of court. After four years of being represented by Next Management, Kloss signed with IMG Models, simultaneously leaving Mother Model Management in St. Louis. In 2009, Vogue Paris named her one of the "top 30 models of the 2000s." Kloss has appeared in editorials for American and Korean W, American Elle, Allure, i-D, French and Japanese Numéro, Vanity Fair, Dazed & Confused; and American, Australian, Italian, French, British, Korean, German, Japanese, Chinese, Turkish, Portuguese, Teen, and Latin American editions of Vogue magazine. She notably appeared on 12 international Vogue covers, including Vogue Italia, in a five-year span. She appeared on the cover of Teen Vogue alongside Chanel Iman and Ali Michael in February 2008 and by herself in May 2010. Kloss made her first venture into television when she appeared in the Gossip Girl episode "Belles de Jour" as herself. She became a muse for fashion designer John Galliano and has appeared in his and Dior's campaigns. She opened both the Christian Dior Haute Couture and Dior Resort shows in the Spring/Summer 2010 season. In Spring/Summer 2011, she opened ten shows and closed eight.

=== 2011–2014: Recognition and success ===

Kloss renewed her contract with Christian Dior for the third season in a row in 2011. The photographer Gabrielle Revere was commissioned by Life magazine to photograph her for the cover of a special print issue distributed during New York Fashion Week in September 2011. The photo story inside the issue was photographed during the summer of 2011 and shows her at couture shows in Paris, New York City, and her hometown of St. Louis. That fall, she made her debut in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. In 2012, Kloss was featured on the September covers of British Vogue, Japanese Vogue, Harper's Bazaar Russia, and Numéro. She appeared in campaign ads for Juicy Couture, Stefanel, Elie Saab, and Jean Paul Gaultier. She co-hosted the revival of the MTV series House of Style with fellow model Joan Smalls. Just before appearing in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2012, Kloss had her long hair cut into a bob, which was subsequently called the "Karlie". One of her outfits was cut out of the Victoria's Secret broadcast as it contained a Native American headdress that was deemed offensive. In 2013, Kloss was the face of Donna Karan, Lacoste, and Lanvin campaigns. Kloss worked with Victoria's Secret on their 2013 summer swimwear video. She was also the red carpet host of the 2013 MTV Movie Awards pre-show. In April, Kloss starred alongside Daria Strokous, Monika Jagaciak, and Iris Strubegger in Louis Vuitton's Alma bag campaign. In 2013, Kloss was named as one of the new ambassadors for Coach, Inc. and starred in the accessory maker's fall 2013 campaign.

Kloss was the face of Jean Paul Gaultier, Nike, Donna Karan, Lancaster, and the Chanel Coco Noir fragrance campaigns in 2014. She also collaborated with Frame Denim to design the Forever Karlie jeans collection. In summer 2014, Kloss worked with Warby Parker to design the Karlie Kloss x Warby Parker eyewear line, the proceeds of which benefited Edible Schoolyard NYC. In September 2014, L'Oreal Paris announced that they had signed Kloss as their new face. She was featured on the September 2014 cover of American Vogue with Joan Smalls, Cara Delevingne, Arizona Muse, Edie Campbell, Imaan Hammam, Fei Fei Sun, Vanessa Axente, and Andreea Diaconu as "The Instagirls!"